terima kasih buat kalian semua..

Monday, January 11, 2010

Even parents need help and love, not just the kids

THE sad episode of a mother who torched herself because of her daughter’s misbehaviour is a shocking reminder of the suffering some parents undergo at the hands of their children, “Mum sets self on fire over recalcitrant teen” (Sunday Star, Jan 10). This is clearly a case of parent abuse.

While a lot is being done to take care of the need of children, little or no help is offered to the parents. Yet, we know that even though children are underaged and seem defenceless, they are still capable of inflicting pain on family members and other people around them.

The Government has gone all out to educate young people and provide them with their needs, but a parent’s right, I believe, should come first.

Parents have usually borne their children out of love, but little recognition of this truth is ever given. We are constantly told and reminded of the rights of children, but the right of the parents are seldom even mentioned.

Presently, so much attention is given to every facet of a child’s development that it appears parents must be subservient to every one of their children’s whims and fancies.

However, some children are not grateful for the bounties bestowed upon them, and their response to the parents’ efforts and sacrifices is to demand more.

Thanks to modern child psychology and allied philosophies that scout for children’s innermost desires, children now have the upper hand over their parents, while it should be the other way around.

The law of logic tells us that a parent has the right to expect obedience, help and gratitude from his or her children. On top of that, religion teaches the duty of the children towards their parents.

Previously, the family unit would well serve the purpose of teaching the young to respect their elders, but nowadays education has over run the essential part of learning that a child would have in a good home. Modern children have more general knowledge, but much less good manners and understanding.

Teachers should help by drilling into their charges the importance of being good to their parents, be obedient to them, and be grateful for what their parents have done for them.

Parents are people that will help you in any event, even when everyone else has their hands tied and so cannot keep their promises.

It is my hope that the unfortunate woman in this accident will be able to recover and sort out the problems with her daughter. However, I don’t think she will be able to have a better future unless society also understands and helps her.